A Dangerous Treasure
by Commander Cody CC-2224
Summary: <html><head></head>Flynn Rider's very first encounter with Mother Gothel...for the very first time. Flynn unburdens to Rapunzel a horrible moment in his life that took place during his career days as a soldier-of-fortune. UPDATE: Now includes Pascal's cameos in story!</html>
1. ACT I

**A Dangerous Treasure**

**Written By:**_** Commander Cody CC-2224**_

SUMMARY: Flynn Rider's very first encounter with Mother Gothel...for the very first time. Flynn unburdens to Rapunzel a horrible moment in his life that took place during his career days as a soldier-of-fortune.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Despite the fact that I'm a retired fanfiction writer, the idea to write this fanfic work of literature sprung up from my mind after I first watched Disney's elegant yet tasteful _Tangled_ film. I also watched the gameplay for _Call of Duty: Black Ops_, and all of a sudden I had the idea of putting Flynn in a situation that the character Viktor Reznov was in, specifically in the 8th level of the game, Project Nova. Combine the two together and you get…epic-ness. L.O.L.!

PRIMARY CHARACTERS featured from the _Tangled_ film: **Rapunzel**, **Flynn Ryder**, **Mother Gothel**, and the **Stabbington Brothers**

STORY STATS:

- Missing moment from the _Tangled_ movie; story takes place around the middle of the film, after Rapunzel heals Flynn Rider's injured left hand; Flynn Rider story is set probably a few days ago prior to Flynn Rider and the Stabbington Brothers raiding the throne room of the Palace of Corona

- Fanfic work heavily borrowed (ripped off) from _Call of Duty: Black Ops_, Game Level: Project Nova

- First names of the Stabbington Brothers derived from the Tangled fanfic "In The Night", written by "Daughter of the Bomb"

- The names of the King and Queen of Corona (Harold and Julia) were derived from the Tangled fanfic "The Princess, The Queen, and The Thief", written by "LoveBroadway1510".

* * *

><p><span>ACT I<span>

_Flower gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the fate's design,_

_Save what has been lost._

_Bring back what once was mine._

_What once was mine._

Flynn Rider could hear the voice of a singing incantation sung by Rapunzel. The incantation song of healing was ringing in Flynn Rider's ear. It was sung most beautifully and Flynn already found himself raptured by the song's beauty.

By the time the song was finished, Flynn suddenly snapped back to reality. But this snap was followed by a strange mood of hyperventilation, suspicion, and seconds later, fear. Flynn's suddenly reaction to the song after being healed already grabbed Rapunzel's attention.

"Flynn? _FLYNN?"_

"Yeah! What?" responded Flynn, apparently quite startled.

He started turning his head around, checking to see whether he was really back in reality as he thought he was. Then he looked up. The same starry night sky hovered over the forest of Corona like a twinkling blanket covering all the Earth. Save for the chirping of crickets, the forest was mostly quiet.

"_Flynn_, are you with me?" asked Rapunzel, quite frantically.

Flynn positioned himself upright while seated on a large trunk of a huge tree. "That…that song…" he began. "I have heard that song before," Flynn muttered to himself very slowly in a perturbed manner.

This suddenly got Rapunzel startled. _Heard it before?_ She thought to herself suspiciously. _How? How is that possible?_ She had to dig a little deeper into that strange claim.

"Flynn, how is that possible? I've only sung it to you like…once. You mean you've heard it before?"

Flynn tried to recall major events in his memory involving the use of this strange healing incantation song. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Who, then?" asked Rapunzel. Given Rapunzel's already heightened state of anxiety, her pet chameleon and loyal friend Pascal hid behind her left shoulder, shuddering.

Flynn nervously cleared his throat. "It was sung by a strange, mysterious woman who went by the name of…Mother Gothel."

Rapunzel sat back…not believing her ears. Mother Gothel? She just couldn't believe it. Since her childhood, Mother Gothel never made mention of a living soul inhabiting the vast reaches of the Kingdom of Corona. Mother Gothel never even mentioned interaction of someone else aside from Rapunzel. Did that mean that anyone aside from her ever interacted with Mother Gothel?

"You mean…" she began, but was too shocked to continue. "Mother Gothel…"

"What is it?" asked Flynn. "You know her?"

"Yes! Of course I do!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "She is my Mother! She sheltered me in the very same tower you found me in." She paused herself, trying to take in the very idea that anybody aside from her knew of Mother Gothel at all, or was aware of her existence.. "What…what do you know about…Mother Gothel?" asked Rapunzel worriedly. She leaned closer to Flynn. "You…" she gulped back. "You _met_ her, haven't you."

"Indeed. Indeed I did," said Flynn. From his tone of voice Rapunzel could nearly tell that he didn't really like talking about his encounter with Mother Gothel. Apparently something happened to him that gave him the impression that Mother Gothel was a creature to be feared above all else. But she had to know.

"Then…what do you know about her…Flynn?" pressed Rapunzel.

Flynn cleared his throat again. "At the time I met her, Mother Gothel was simply a strange, mysterious old woman who we were looking for to assist us with finding a terrible potion intended to be for the use of Corona's defenses. However, we were double crossed."

"Tell me how it happened," Rapunzel demanded of him. "Tell me how you came across Mother Gothel."

Flynn only shook his head. "You won't like it," he said to her. "It's really not that pleasant a story to tell. Hell, it's a dark one."

Rapunzel took a deep breath before pressing him further to tell his side of the story. "You _have_ to," she emphasized.

"Have…" stuttered Flynn. "Where's my writ that I have to tell this story to a girl who barely even knows me…"

"Because she's my _Mother_!" cried Rapunzel. "If it concerns her, I _have_ to know!"

Flynn sighed in exasperation. "Okay, _fine_," he said. He scratched his head. "Now…where to begin…"

"Start with the part where you first met her," Rapunzel tried to coax him.

"Right, right," said Flynn. "Well, you see, Mother Gothel really didn't have that much significance in my life. Granted, of course, her existence was of great significance to a traveling band of soldiers of fortune wishing to seek her out to pry from her the location of a hidden dangerous treasure."

"What _kind_ of treasure?" Rapunzel inquired rather curiously.

"I'm getting to that, Blondie," he replied. "You see, I was part of an expeditionary force responsible for aiding in the search of Mother Gothel. Little did I know, however, that Mother Gothel possessed a side far darker than anything you could have ever imagined in your childhood nightmares…for me…this nightmare…was the most horrifying…"

* * *

><p><strong>Beginning of the story…<strong>

- Dudley Reading and his soldiers-of-fortune commissioned by King Harold and Queen Julia of Corona to investigate the last known location of Mother Gothel, a local who is designated to offer her cooperation in the search for a legendary treasure that will of be of great use to Corona's defenses

- Dudley Reading and his soldiers-of-fortune sent to the Eastern region of **Corona**

-** Flynn Rider (a.k.a. Eugene FitzHerbert)** detached to Group Four, with the Stabbington Brothers

- 1200 hours, **Mid-Afternoon of the Spring Season**

Flynn Rider set his gaze over the grassy valley, perched atop a high knoll. Accompanying him on his journey were his two close traveling buddies: the Stabbington brothers, Hadrian and Leif.

In spite of being twin brothers, the only stark difference between was that the latter, Leif, had a black eye-patch from his left eye, most likely from a brawl with his twin brother, who stabbed him right in his eye.

"Everything is loaded and appears to be ready," informed Hadrian, before turning to Flynn. "Flynn?"

"Yeah," answered Flynn.

Hadrian brandished his sword rather gleefully. "It's time."

"You said it," Flynn agreed with him. He then turned to Leif, the other Stabbington brother. "Leif, grab the gear," he demanded him. "We are moving out."

Armed with his crossbow and heaving up his back, Flynn urged the Stabbington brothers to move down the high knoll with him. The trio headed over to where there was a traveler gathering.

The traveling group's leader was Dudley Reading, a man of adequate pomposity yet reserved in stature. He was brandishing his sword and hitting it slightly on his other hand. To his right was his second in command, William Pool, a bespectacled fellow who looked like an eccentric employee to the King.

Near the group was a rugged horse-drawn cart. The Stabbington brothers were the first to climb aboard the cart. Flynn was about to do the same when William Pool managed to successfully seize his attention.

"Master Eugene FitzHerbert, 'tis a pleasure to see you alive…and in one piece," the bespectacled man greeted Flynn rather politely, yet in a more defined manner. "I hear your reputation as a legendary thief precedes you. Have you not tired of adventure already, Eugene?"

This sort of greeting came as a surprise for Flynn, because much of the time he was known to everyone else as Flynn Rider. Derived from his favorite swashbuckler Flynnagin Rider, Flynn gave that name to himself due to sheer embarrassment by his name for some reason. But for some reason, one way or another, someone had divulged Flynn's real name to Dudley and his second-in-command.

"Naw, not really," said Flynn, trying to be modest. "As far as looks are concerned, I've still got more adventure packed into this thieving operation than my pals put together."

It was at this reply that the Stabbington brothers started scowling at one another over the way Flynn put them at a low comparison. But Dudley Reading was not about to let such petty argument over status brew in his traveling band. "Put aside your petty rivalry, William," commanded Dudley, and to the Stabbington brothers as well. "Eugene FitzHerbert will do as he is told."

"'Hell, yeah' to that one," said Flynn in a rather cocky manner.

"Indeed," said Dudley quite pompously. He then turned to address his traveling group. "Gentlemen, it is an honor to divulge to you at last what are mission will be," he announced. "By order of the King we are to head over to the abandoned village of Cherrywood. It is at Cherrywood that we will be searching for…a woman."

"A _woman_?" The Stabbington Brothers blasted at Dudley with loud guffaws.

"Exactly," replied Dudley, feeling slightly bothered by Leif Stabbington's unexpectedly rude interruption. "A woman who goes by the name of _Mother Gothel_. Mother Gothel has offered her cooperation to our search for the legendary potion treasure said to be hidden in a vessel somewhere east of the Kingdom of Corona. Our Lord the King wishes to assess the potion for himself, as it might prove useful against all enemies of Corona. At all costs Mother Gothel is not to be harmed."

"Why, what happens if she's _harmed_?" asked Leif in dismay.

"Then all hope for searching for the legendary potion…is _lost_."

"And the King will have our heads for this," Flynn finished for Dudley.

"Indeed," the group leader conceded. "Now that you have been briefed, let's move out."

With that the horse-cart started moving. Flynn conveys his suspicions about Dudley Reading.

"What happened in Corona, between you and Dudley Reading?" asked one soldier.

Flynn cleared his throat. "When me and my pals were scheduled to loot the local bank in Corona, Dudley and his lap dog William Pool left us hopelessly outnumbered. Dudley made a promise to us to get us out of a sticky situation if we got caught by the King's men. That promise was made…but was never kept."

He clicked his tongue in sheer disappointment over the issue between him and Dudley Reading. "From the looks of it, both Dudley Reading and William Pool betray themselves as ruthless opportunists…never giving a damn about their own fellow men…and waiting for the right moment to get rid of us. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Dudley and Will sold themselves to the highest bidder for their services. Even to this day I still cannot trust him…"

* * *

><p>"You know, Flynn, coming from <em>you<em> as an opportunist yourself, your words of condemnation to Mr. Reading as one of these ruthless opportunists should make you look like a _hypocrite_," scolded Rapunzel.

"Well, Rapunzel, I may have lived a life of crime…but I still believed in the essence of comradeship." At least that was what Flynn believed before he himself would be betrayed by Dudley…which would eventually lead Flynn to betray the Stabbington brother. But that would come much, much later…

At this point, it was Pascal who had to goad Rapunzel into letting Flynn continue his story, or else Flynn would never finish at all. Still atop her left shoulder, he gave Rapunzel a good tug at her ear. But it made Rapunzel peeved at his antics.

"What?" asked Rapunzel furiously.

Pascal pointed his left hand at Flynn. His pointer seemed to serve as a reminder to let Flynn continue.

"All right, Pascal, I'll let him continue his story," she said to him in exasperation. Rapunzel gave Flynn her own silent cue to continue.

"Indeed, the village of Cherrywood was abandoned," Flynn continued. "Not a soul around. Or so it seemed."

* * *

><p>Dudley Reading and the travel group finally arrived to the village of Cherrywood.<p>

"Split up," ordered Dudley. "Flynn and the Stabbington brothers will take the north end. The rest of you, cover the south end…and the east end. The group spread out across the village.

Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers took the north end. The Stabbington brothers were readying their swords, as Flynn readied his crossbow. As the trio neared the other side of the village, they noticed a fairly modest-size grove of trees blossoming with strange ripe red cherries. It was most likely the reason behind this local village being dubbed "Cherrywood", due to the strange berries thriving in these trees. Flynn also took notice of these same barriers thriving in the forest near where the local village itself was located.

Flynn gave direction to the Stabbington brothers to split up. "Hadrian, you take that way," he ordered, pointing to his left. Then pointing to his right, he then said to the other Stabbington brother, "Leif, the other."

With a very curt nod of acknowledgment, the two Stabbington brothers split up. Flynn continues straight past the abandoned village road.

All by himself, at least for a time, Flynn continued to explore the northern end. Very soon he stumbled across a mysteriously hooded figure in a red cloak, with its back on him. It was gracefully picking the strange ripe red cherry fruit on a little field right near the village. By the looks of it Flynn could probably suspect it was a woman behind the cloak and hood.

Even most curious was a very strange song the hooded figure was singing to itself. Flynn could not help but find himself impacted by that song, sung in a most angelic voice, but in the most casual manner ever. The song strangely sounded like an incantation, as if calling for something; something that was in possession of the hooded figure and was lost forever.

_Flower gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the fate's design,_

_Save what has been lost._

_Bring back what once was mine._

_What once was mine._

Flynn readied his crossbow. "Madame?" he called.

The sound of the figure's voice was so sickeningly sweet yet was attractive enough to deserve even the most modest attention. "Yesssss?" it called.

The mysterious figure slowly turned around to face Flynn. To his utter surprise, it turned out to be a woman of great matronly beauty. Her smile was endearing, yet there was craftiness masked behind it. Her ebony black hair was attractively curled.

Flynn was beginning to find himself quite startled and awed by her beauty, but he just couldn't trust her enough even to do such a simple thing as lower his crossbow. He instinctively aimed his crossbow at her, which truly shocked Mother Gothel out of her matronly wits.

"Do not _point_ that crossbow at _me_…you _uncouth dog_ of low _pedigree_!" she shrieked in a humorously lyrical but raspy manner.

It was at this point that Flynn decided to lower his crossbow, but cautiously, just to satisfy her and put here at ease. He then began the process of courteously introducing himself.

"I'm Flynn Rider," began Flynn. Now that he was finished introducing himself, it was time to move on to even the most basic of objective facts. "My superior, Captain Dudley Reading, seeks a woman by the name of Mother Gothel. Do you know where she is?"

"Oh, my dear," replied Mother Gothel, fanning herself with her hand, as if savoring the fact that Flynn had difficulty guessing who she was. "There's really no need to keep searching further. You are, indeed, already face-to-face with the woman you seek."

Flynn thought about this part for a moment before heaving a rather unenthusiastic sigh of relief, as if he was not really one for jests of that nature. "So you _are_ Mother Gothel after all," he concluded.

Mother Gothel instead said nothing, but made a rather bland but crafty-looking smile on her face.

"Captain Dudley Reading requests your presence, _now_," Flynn had to remind Mother Gothel. "Please come with me."

"Of course, my dear," said Mother Gothel rather craftily. "Indeed, I have been expecting him…"

* * *

><p>"We led Mother Gothel to our little traveling group…. And it was at this singular moment I could almost suspect she was up to something…crafty…and unnerving…with Captain Reading. The tone in her voice seemed to betray a kind of…craftiness…that was part of her character. Like it was…<em>affectionate<em>…"

* * *

><p>The traveling group was near the derelict sailing vessel. Dudley Reading began directing Flynn and the Stabbington brothers with a rallying gesture.<p>

"Flynn Rider, bring your men!" he called out. At Dudley's command, Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers fell into formation.

"Would you mind telling me why this particular vessel is so damn important?" asked Hadrian.

"Dunno," replied Flynn. "But I think he believes this sailing vessel boasts something of great value to the kingdom. He wants to make a name for himself by being the first to claim such a discovery as his own. Even if Mother Gothel, in all manner of justice, would be more deserving of such a claim, since it appears that she knows about it first, which is why she is leading us to it in the first place."

Leif Stabbington began to prod Flynn, trying to get his urgent attention. "Flynn, I think Mother Gothel and Dudley Reading are discussing something in private…like old friends. I'm starting to have a terrible feeling about all this…"

"You always have a terrible feeling about _everything_, Leif," said Flynn with a light chuckle, before his mood turned pretty somber. "Nor I, too. Best thing to be on your guard, just in case…"

Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers could nearly overhear Dudley Reading and Mother Gothel discussing the treasure.

"We must hurry, gentlemen," called Mother Gothel in a terribly sickeningly sweet voice, as if to her own child. "I hear there are crewmen who would rather see their precious cargo destroyed at the bottom of the sea than _captured_…"

But Dudley Reading interrupted Mother Gothel in mid-sentence, pointing his right-hand finger at her. "Wait a minute; you told me there wouldn't be any problems, Mother Gothel."

"Well, I cannot control the actions of these crewmen, Dudley," protested Mother Gothel sweetly, conveying a shrug that indicated that she could not guarantee herself being in control of the situation. "For all we know, they are sworn to keep all knowledge of their precious cargo from prying eyes."

Flynn had to confide to the Stabbington Brothers. "Doesn't sound good," he said to them. "It sure sounds like that derelict vessel houses something…_dangerous_. Why else would they bother going to such trouble?

"I agree," concurred Leif Stabbington. "I'm having my crossbow at the ready…"

The traveling group started stepping into the derelict vessel.

"Mother Gothel, what is it exactly that's in that vessel?" asked Dudley.

"You find out soon enough," replied Mother Gothel. "I like to keep it as a _surprise_."

"With me, Mother Gothel, I _tire_ of surprises," said Dudley rather unenthusiastically.

"You seem to have lost the thrill of being _surprised_, Dudley."

Dudley cast his gleeful face at Mother Gothel. "Is it…_gold_?" he prompted her teasingly.

Mother Gothel returned her tease. "Even…_better_," she said slyly.

Dudley couldn't help prodding her even more teasingly. "Is it a _magic potion_ brewed in secret?"

"Close enough," replied Mother Gothel in her teasing manner. "It's _special_."

"Is it a _dangerous_ one?" Flynn asked quickly.

"You'll soon find out," Mother Gothel said to him rather cryptically. But even that reply began to plant an idea in Flynn's head that Mother Gothel's answer was a suspicious "Yes".

"I've got a bad feeling about this…," muttered Flynn.

"You've always got a bad feeling about _everything_!" Hadrian retorted.

"Not everything, Hadrian," said Flynn. "It's just this little adventure Mother Gothel is hosting is getting creepier and creepier by the minute."

"Maybe we should just leave," said Leif.

"They'll kill us for that," Flynn had to warn him.

Dudley and the traveling group neared the door.

"Thisssss…is it…" hissed Mother Gothel.

"Flynn, open the door," demanded Dudley rather easily.

Flynn obliged, though by this time it was already apparent that he didn't like what discovery was in store for him…or his friends.

* * *

><p>In the stats briefing (after the words "<strong>Beginning of the story...<strong>", there is no specific year as to when Flynn's story takes place. This is because in the _Tangled_movie, there was no specific year at all. According to various writers on the forum **Discussion and Debate: When does 'Tangled' take place?**, a majority of participants seem to pinpoint the period in which _Tangled_ took place somewhere around the late 1700s to the early to mid 1830s. I had decided to leave the matter of the date vague because I didn't want to leave lingering doubts on the reader's mind about the exact date in history. So basically I wanted you to enjoy reading the story without being bothered (to indignation) about the exact historical period that _Tangled_ takes place in.

(To head to _Tangled's_ Discussion and Debate forum on , type on the URL **http**, followed by a colon (**;**) a slash (**/**), and another slash (**/**), type **forum**, followed by a dot(**.**), type **fanfiction**, and then type the following: **.net/forum/Tangled/80879/**. I had to write the directions this way because the FanFiction site wouldn't allow me to post the entire URL address on this page.)


	2. ACT II

**A Dangerous Treasure**

**Written By:**_** Commander Cody CC-2224**_

SUMMARY: Flynn Rider's very first encounter with Mother Gothel...for the very first time. Flynn unburdens to Rapunzel a horrible moment in his life that took place during his career days as a soldier-of-fortune.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Despite the fact that I'm a retired fanfiction writer, the idea to write this fanfic work of literature sprung up from my mind after I first watched Disney's elegant yet tasteful _Tangled_ film. I also watched the gameplay for _Call of Duty: Black Ops_, and all of a sudden I had the idea of putting Flynn in a situation that the character Viktor Reznov was in, specifically in the 8th level of the game, Project Nova. Combine the two together and you get…epic-ness. L.O.L.!

PRIMARY CHARACTERS featured from the _Tangled_ film: **Rapunzel**, **Flynn Ryder**, **Mother Gothel**, and the **Stabbington Brothers**

STORY STATS:

- Missing moment from the _Tangled_ movie; story takes place around the middle of the film, after Rapunzel heals Flynn Rider's injured left hand; Flynn Rider story is set probably a few days ago prior to Flynn Rider and the Stabbington Brothers raiding the throne room of the Palace of Corona

- Fanfic work heavily borrowed (ripped off) from _Call of Duty: Black Ops_, Game Level: Project Nova

- First names of the Stabbington Brothers derived from the Tangled fanfic "In The Night", written by "Daughter of the Bomb"

- The names of the King and Queen of Corona (Harold and Julia) were derived from the Tangled fanfic "The Princess, The Queen, and The Thief", written by "LoveBroadway1510".

* * *

><p><span>ACT II<span>

Even by the time Flynn was in the middle of his story, Rapunzel was already listening with wide-eyed interest and horror. Given that this was a story like no other Mother Gothel told her during her childhood, every detail in Flynn's story could only make her curious for more.

"…What we found on board the derelict vessel was something unusual…something deadly," Flynn told Rapunzel. "A terrible magic potion…except it was in gaseous form. Greenish in color…and appealing to the eye. Mother Gothel called it…the Draught of Torturous Death. It had the potential to kill a living thing within seconds…deadly to both man and beast alike."

Rapunzel simply stared at Flynn, wide-eyed, as if she was hearing something strange and troubling.

"Or so it seemed," Flynn continued. "The sad part was that our victory was to be short lived."

"_Why_?" Rapunzel asked forcefully in suspicion.

"Well, it so happened that Mother Gothel wanted to see the effects of the potion firsthand. It was also an opportunity to rid herself of a thorn on her side.

Rapunzel let out a small gasp. Could it mean that Mother Gothel already knew who Flynn was and didn't even tell her that she encountered him before? Could it reveal a side of Mother Gothel that was so dark and so evil that it gave her the shudders just to think about what Mother Gothel might have done to Flynn?

"Whatever do you mean, Flynn?" she asked in shock.

"Well, you see…I suspect that she was having some serious suspicions about me accidentally finding out the location of the tower you resided with Mother Gothel…"

"You mean…" Rapunzel interrupted him, with a reaction conveying shock and horror beyond imagination over what Mother Gothel had the gall to do with Flynn.

"Yeah," Flynn answered Rapunzel rather forcefully. "Yeah, I mean exactly that."

"But _why_, Flynn?" asked Rapunzel desperately. This was too much for her. To think that Mother Gothel would go so far as commit a crime so great as murder against even a petty thief was utterly unimaginable. But that was because Mother Gothel was so merciful as to spare her of such evils of this world.

"I was not even aware of your existence until you came into the tower," said Rapunzel.

"_You_ weren't," said Flynn. "But for some mysterious reason…Mother Gothel was…even before we met each other in the tower…."

All this was too much for Rapunzel to take in. But meditation over such details would have to wait. Flynn was not yet finished with his story.

"Go on," Rapunzel coaxed him.

Flynn continued. "Mother Gothel manipulatively influenced Dudley Reading, our travel group leader, you see, to order six of his men into the glass chamber."

* * *

><p>Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers were thrown into the left-hand chamber, while three other men were thrown into the right-hand chamber.<p>

* * *

><p>"Along with my two traveling buddies, we got thrown into the left-hand chamber. Then three men were thrown into a glass chamber adjacent to the one we two men got thrown into."<p>

* * *

><p>Flynn struggled to recover himself, moments before he found himself locked in the chamber. He caught sight of Dudley Reading before smiling blandly and scowling at him. Then he caught a glimpse of Mother Gothel before scowling at her. Mother Gothel simply flashed her evil smile, as if intending to gloat over Flynn's inevitable agony before death. Turning his head to the left he could see three other men confined into the adjacent glass chamber.<p>

In a few seconds, a greenish gas was starting to diffuse into the adjacent chamber. Flynn started looking back at Mother Gothel and Dudley Reading, both of whom were intent on seeing the effects of the deadly potion firsthand. From the adjacent chamber could be heard violent coughing, hacking, and wheezing, which prompted Flynn to face the adjacent chamber to see what the hell was going on.

It was then that he was forced to watch the three men die from exposure to the lethal gaseous potion, with the knowledge that he and the Stabbington Brothers would eventually become victims, too. The three men, now claimed victim by the gaseous potion, began vomiting violently. Blood was diffusing from the men's eyes as the men stumbled around the chamber violently. Their skin began changing into a scaly black due to the truly horrific effect of necrosis.

* * *

><p>"I was forced to watch my fellow travelers die from exposure to this lethal potion in the adjacent chamber," said Flynn. "The sight was horrible beyond imagination. Just imagine watching these men suffer…with the knowledge that this will be the same inevitable fate you are bound to suffer."<p>

"What…what was it like?" asked Rapunzel in stunned dismay. Even Pascal was horrified over what he had heard.

"You don't want to know," Flynn warned her.

"No, Flynn, no! I have to know," Rapunzel protested.

Flynn cleared his throat, knowing that the details he would convey to Rapunzel might bring nightmares to her, given that Mother Gothel had for the most part took care to shelter Rapunzel from all lurking dangers of this world. "I saw one man violently coughing and hacking. And it's not even a slight cough, it was _violent_. It was then followed by vomiting…the man's eyes bled real hard…his skin turned black…"

Rapunzel shut her eyes, feeling so squeamish over hearing Flynn's graphic descriptions of a dying man.

"These men literally got out of control. They were going into rapid convulsions…before he passed out…literally…and died…"

Rapunzel felt as though her idyllic childhood has suddenly been replaced with all manner of pure evil manifesting itself in reality. Growing up in the tower she had been shielded from all bad things happening to her, and hearing such terribly grotesque details made her feel squeamish. She was not aware that such unspeakable evil could ever happen in this world.

Rapunzel gazed at her hair, wishing she could have healed those men who died in the horrible glass chamber.

* * *

><p>Flynn truly believed that he, along with the Stabbington Brothers, was destined to die. However, before Flynn and his traveling buddies could be killed, Fate sort of intervened.<p>

* * *

><p>"As I watched these men die…agonizingly, it became clear to me that this group was not the only one looking for this…toxic potion," Flynn continued. "The king's men started circling this vessel…like vultures…"<p>

"The King's men?" asked Rapunzel. "They were after it, too?"

"Yup," Flynn said simply. "But of course, Mother Gothel, Dudley Reading, and the rest of the traveling group scattered like rats…leaving me and my two traveling buddies to contend with the King's men. Some flaming arrow shot the glass, shattering it. Inadvertently, that became our ticket to freedom. But we would first have to pay for it by fighting our way through.

* * *

><p>One of the troopers accidentally fired a flaming crossbow bolt at the glass, shattering it. Without hesitation, Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers escaped the confines of the glass chamber. Now they were forced to fight their way through the mess they were in right now.<p>

* * *

><p>"All matter of thought about bringing this potion back to Corona escaped me," continued Flynn. "Such a weapon would have been too deadly…even to the King's men if they used it…and an eventual danger to Corona's citizens…if it diffused into the atmosphere over Corona. Fear of the possibility of this deadly potion in the hands of a tyrant completely gripped me. And it was then that we had to sink this vessel housing this deadly potion…once and for all…at all costs."<p>

* * *

><p>Flynn just fired a bolt from his crossbow. "We'll scuttle this vessel and <em>plunge<em> it to the depths of hell! We won't let either side make use of this terrible toxic potion!"

"Well, where the hell do we go?" shouted Leif.

Flynn hesitated a little, before a grand idea hit his head like a hammer. "The storeroom!" he shouted.

"Why?" shouted Hadrian.

"That's where some barrels might be," Flynn answered, lowering his voice, let some of the King's men overhear him within earshot and try to stop him based on what they hear from Flynn. "If we can ignite the rum, we can burn a gaping hole in this ship's bilge," he explained further.

"Well, just be damn sure you don't bring the ship down on top of us," warned Hadrian.

"Or bring her down with us," put in Leif.

"That won't happen if we get out of here in time," Flynn promised rather vaguely.

* * *

><p>"We both had to find a way how to blow a gaping hole in the deck in order to sink the ship," Flynn elaborated to Rapunzel. "So me and the Stabbington Brothers fought all the way to the storeroom, where sure enough, we found quite a load of rum barrels. I laid out and set the primer, and the Stabbington Brothers moved the crates into position. We were quite a helluva team."<p>

"You had a match, I hope," said Rapunzel.

"Lucky for me, yes. Then me and the Stabbington Brothers had to haul ass outta there before the ship could take us down with her." "Her", referring to the ship, of course.

* * *

><p>Flynn laid out the rope, which was to be used as the primer cord, while the Stabbington Brothers heaved all the rum barrels into position, grouping all the barrels together.<p>

"Ready when you are!" called Leif.

Luckily for Flynn, he had a matchbox with him in his left coat pocket. He lit one match and let the primer cord fuse.

"Got it!" called Flynn. "We've got less than a minute to haul our asses outta here! Let's go!"

Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers made their rush out of the storeroom, only to continue fighting their way below deck through the God-awful mess, duking it out with the King's men. Flynn seemed to have some qualms about killing the soldiers of the King, since the quest that he was participating in was done for the king, so he kind of expected the King's soldiers to be allied with him. But for some inexplicable reason, the King's soldiers wanted the treasure for themselves; hence the reason for them attacking Flynn and his traveling buddies. So Flynn had to remind the Stabbington Brothers not to become too carried away with vengeful acts against the soldiers.

"This is not our war!" he shouted.

"Then who should we fight?" retorted Hadrian.

"Everybody!" Flynn shouted back. "We stand alone!"

Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers continued duking it out with the King's men. When the trio reached the deck, they tossed themselves overboard. Then they frantically swam to shore, desperately trying at the very least to gain as much distance away from the ship before it was scheduled to spontaneously explode in less than half a minute.

Which it did, of course. The docked sailing vessel underwent a single spontaneous combustion. The force of the explosion shook the ground, enough to force Flynn off his feet. A large, enormous fireball of monster proportions erupted in the middle of the ship, as if a dragon literally lit the ship on fire with its hot breath. The spontaneous explosion was followed by a slow but gradual horizontal submergence of the sailing vessel itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Coda…<strong>

"So after the explosion literally knocked me off my feet, I was staring kind of blankly at the sinking ship," said Flynn.

Rapunzel had to take all the details in before she could even ask any more questions.

"That's it, my story's done," Flynn concluded before shrugging his shoulders.

"What…what became of the King's men?" asked Rapunzel.

"They probably got killed during the explosion," replied Flynn. "Dunno why the King's men would have gone after us, given that our mission was a directive by the King and Queen of Corona. Possibility exists that the King's men that were after me and the Stabbington Brothers had gone rogue…for some reason. I dunno."

Rapunzel hung her head. "That…that must have been a terrible thing to experience," she commented sympathetically.

"It was," Flynn agreed.

"So what did you do after that event?" asked Rapunzel.

"Well…me and the Stabbington Brothers were debriefed by the King and Queen about our little adventure. 'Twas most likely King Harold and Queen Julia were most unhappy about the failure of our mission, but were for the most part grateful that me and my pals survived. The Stabbington Brothers headed for the Snuggly Duckling, and I stayed behind."

That basically was Flynn's conclusion of his episode. Rapunzel couldn't help but feel admiration for Flynn having to go through the things she couldn't bring herself to go through. And even Pascal had some fair measure of admiration for Flynn, too.

Tenderly she placed her right hand on Flynn's bandaged hand.

"Flynn, I'm so glad you were able to get out of the ship safely," said Rapunzel dearly.

**THE END**

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><p>For the Coda, I tried to think of as much filler dialogue as possible to convey the impact of Flynn's horror story to Rapunzel. If you think there could be some suggested improvement on the Coda, please let me know.<p>

**This story in its original final draft did not include the presence of Rapunzel's pet chameleon and loyal friend Pascal. So I decided to include Pascal's cameos in the story. Count that as one injustice finally righted for Pascal! If you haven't found Pascal's cameos in this story, I suggest you read through the story again. (HINT: Pascal's name is mentioned six times in the story.)**

Please Review! Comment all you like, whether it's critiquing, analyzing, flaming, or just simply complaining about the plot and the fact that the plot itself and even the dialogue was lovingly ripped off from the 8th level of _Call of Duty: Black Ops_, Project Nova. Feedback is always appreciated!


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